Buckle up no matter what
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Editor,
With 11 tragic crash fatalities on a recent weekend on Montana roadways I feel compelled to once again speak out about seat belt use. Data shows from January 1 to June 17 of 2013, there have been 79 vehicle fatalities in the state of Montana. Of those, 59 individuals were not wearing their seat belts.
When surveying drivers about seat belt use I have found that most drivers know they should buckle up or that it is the law to buckle up, but choose not to buckle up because “it’s inconvenient.” A large number of drivers report buckling up on the interstate but not in town.
Even at slow speeds a person can be seriously injured in a car crash if they are not wearing a seat belt.
Here’s a little math lesson to sway the non-buckling drivers.
To find the amount of force needed to stop your body during a crash we use the following formula: Weight X Speed = Force. If you weigh 120 pounds and are traveling at 30 miles per hour, 3,600 pounds of force will be needed to stop your body from moving forward. (120 X 30 = 3,600). To put that into perspective, a midsize sedan weighs about 3,600 pounds. The human body is physically incapable of protecting itself from these kinds of forces. Seat belts and airbags are designed to help our bodies “ride down” crash forces. Seat belts keep us in the “safety cage” of the vehicle, which is the part of the vehicle that was designed to protect occupants in a crash. Airbags work with the seat belt to help slow your body down. They are not intended to be used as a stand-alone safety device. They need to be used with the seat belt.
Seat belts can reduce the chance of fatality by 55 percent. Why take a chance? Buckle up. Every trip. Every time.
Diana Schwab
Polson
